FROM NO FUTURE TO HOPE

On a bland grey wall at the end Clapham’s Northcote Road very early in the morning, a small dark-clad figure is busy with a spray can as hordes of school children on the top deck of the bus look on. In less than an hour, a new image of hope appears! The ‘Banksy-esque’ stencil on the side of FARA’s Clapham shop transformed the Banksy street art: ‘NO FUTURE,’ into something altogether more positive. Within minutes of it appearing, photos posted on Twitter with local residents excitedly asking if it was the genuine article. Next stop local BBC and ITV news…

The first call of the morning to FARA Head Office was from a journalist at South London Press. At this point we had to confess it was a Banksy of a sort as it was created by Jemma Banks, FARA’s Marketing Manager. She had the genius idea of creating the homage after being given the challenge to design something eye-catching for the shops exterior wall. By doctoring the image Banksy’s ‘NO FUTURE’ mural with an arresting positive twist it would reflect FARA’s vision of transforming the lives of disadvantaged children in Romania. It was great PR for FARA Shops and another sign that they like to do things just a little bit differently.

A colleague said:

“Seeing the hours of time Jemma spent studying the original Banksy artwork – painstakingly sketching the image, hand cutting the stencil, and finally the practicalities of getting the piece on the wall - has given me a new appreciation for Banksy’s work. I also think Jemma is a really talented artist in her own right.”

What did Jemma say to the journalist when asked about the speculation surrounding the artwork?

“I’m amazed and flattered that people thought this is a genuine Banksy; maybe it’s time to give up the day job!”

FARA Charity Shops supporting the work of FARA
Charity transforming the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people in Romania.
FARA Enterprises Limited is wholly owned by the FARA Foundation. Registered Charity No. 1139349